Iowacaseshowsagediscriminationpersists,Despitelaw

Iowacaseshowsagediscriminationpersists,despitelaw

RobertWeinerandDanielKhan

5:17p.m.CDTMay11,2016

(Photo:AndreaMelendez/TheRegister,AndreaMelendez/TheRegister)

“Ageismisasodiousasracismorsexism,”FloridaRep.ClaudePepper,D-Fla.,saidin1976beforehislegislation(supportedbyAgingCommitteememberandthen-Rep.ChuckGrassley)passedtoeliminateage-basedmandatoryretirementandenddiscriminationinhiringandadvancement(theAgeDiscriminationandEmploymentActAmendments). WhilethenationisfondofdebatingimprovementsandchangestoSocialSecurity,bothlikelypresidentialnominees,HillaryClintonandDonaldTrump,promisetomaintainandprotectit. However,equallyimportanttoseniorsaretheeconomicsandself-worthoftheirwork. Beingfiredordemotedforageisunacceptable.

Age-relatedcomplaintshavegrown,notshrunk,inrecentyears. TheEqualEmploymentOpportunityCommissionreportsthatbetween1997and2007,therewerearound16,000to19,000filingsforagecomplaints. However,from2008throughthepresent,complaintsincreasedto23,000to25,000ayear. AnAARPsurveyfoundthattwo-thirdsofworkersbetween45and74have“seenorexperiencedagediscriminationonthejob.”

ASupremeCourtdecisionin2009,Grossv.FBLFinancialServices,Inc.,puttheADEAatgreaterrisk,andtheriskcontinuestoday. In2003,JackGrossnoticedamemoathisWestDesMoinesinsurancejobthatexplainedstaffingchanges. “Igotthisaheadoftime,anditjustjumpedoffthepage. Everybodythatthey’renaminghereismyageorolder. Nobodyunder50wasgettingdemoted. Theonlypromotionswerepeoplewhowerebasicallyagenerationyoungerthanus.”

Grosswas54atthetimeandavicepresidentatFBLFinancial. Hesuedthecompanyandachievedvictoryinthelowercourts. ButtheU.S.SupremeCourtruledonJune18,2009,by5-4thattheplaintiffmostprovethatagewasthesolereasonfordiscrimination.

Asaresult,hundredsofcasesrelatingtoagediscriminationhavebeenabandoned. "Personally,that'soneofthethingsthatIresentmost,"Grosssays. "Thatmynameisbeingassociatedwithsomuchinjusticeandunfairness."

Beforehand,ifanemployeewasfiredornotpromoted,theworkercouldraiseagediscriminationasanissue. Now,heorshemustprovewithabsolutecertaintythatagewastheprimaryreasonforterminationorfailuretorise.

“SuingyouremployerforagediscriminationisbasicallyplayingRussianroulettewithyourcareerfuture,”saysPaulBernard,anexecutivecoachforNextAvenue,apublicandnationalmediaserviceforAmerica’s50andoverpopulation. “Youburnyourbridgesandmaynevergethiredagain.”

PearlZuchlewski,aNewYork-basedemploymentlawyer,addshowtimeconsumingtheprocessis. “Mostpeoplewanttogetanotherjobandnotspendyearsindeposition.”

Arguably,thebiggestobstacleiscost. Depositioncostsareasmuchas$1,800aday. ForGross,thefeewas$11,000simplytoprintthedocumentsrelatingtohiscase. Youmightbeinabetterofftonegotiateadealwithyouremployer.

DanKohrman,aseniorattorneyattheAARPFoundation,asserts:“Thesekindofdecisionsscareoffworkersandlawyers. It’shardertoproveanagecase.”

Abrightspotisthatmorevictoriesarebeingwoninstatecourts,ifnotfederalcourts. California,Michigan,NewYork,andIowaaresomestatesthathavebetterprotectionsforolderworkers. DeborahCampbell,63,acommunityprogrammonitorforIowa’s3rdJudicialDistrictCorrectionalDepartment,wasawarded$404,682in2014byaWoodburyCountydistrictjudgeforagediscrimination. In2012,Dr.ZaneHurkin,81,wasawarded$340,000byaPolkCountyjuryforagediscriminationatWoodwardCountyResourceCenterinDesMoines. ButKorhmanelaborates:“Ifyoudon’tliveinthatkindofstate,thenitistough. Itisreallytough.”

Sen.GrassleyandformerSen.TomHarkinintroducedbipartisanlegislationtoundotheSupremeCourtdecisionofFBLvs.FinancialServicesin2012,andlastyearSens.BobCasey,D-Pa.,andMarkKirk,R-Ill.,introducedsimilarlegislation“tocleanupafterSupremeCourtdecisionthatexposedolderworkerstodiscrimination,”accordingtoThinkProgress,afederal-actionmonitoringblog. Grassleycommented,“ThedecisionintheGrosscasehashadamajorimpactonemploymentdiscriminationlitigationacrossthecountry. It’stimeweclarifythelawtoensurethatotherpeoplelikeJackGrossaren’tputinsimilarsituations. OlderAmericansdeservetheprotectionsCongressoriginallyintended.”

People50andolderwillbe35percentoftheworkforceby2019,accordingtotheUrbanInstitute. Withmorecasescomingin,thereispressureforCongresstoactagainstdiscriminationandfortheDepartmentofJusticetoputinplaceprotectionsforseniors’jobsecurity. Seniorsvoteinthehighestpercentagesofanyage,sothisnotonlymakesgoodsense,butgoodpolitics.

RobertWeinerisaformerspokesmanfortheClintonWhiteHouseandwaschiefofstaffoftheU.S.HouseAgingCommittee. DanielKhanisseniorpolicyanalystatRobertWeinerAssociatesandSolutionsforChange.

BobWeiner(Photo:SpecialtotheRegister)

DanielKhan(Photo:SpecialtotheRegister)